io6 



"The lily of Scripture was probably Lilium chalcedoniaim." — 

 Balfour. 



Polygonatum multiflorum — Solomon's seal or heal. Manx: 

 Jus Iheihys, the heal plant. The young shoots were eaten as a 

 substitute for asparagus (Lindley). 



Allium — The derivation of this word is said to be from all 

 {Celtic), hot, burning. There is no such word. The only word 

 that resembles it in sound, and with that significance, is sgallta, 

 burned, scalded ; hence, perhaps, " scallion," the English for a 

 young onion. Latin : calor. 



A. cepa (cep, Gaelic : ceap, a head) — The onion. Gaelic : 

 uinnean. Irish : oinninn. Manx : unnish. Welsh : wynwyn. 

 French : oignon. German : on/on. Latin : unto. Gaelic : siobaid, 

 siobann. Sibal, leek (O'Reilly). Welsh : sibol. Scotch : sybo. 

 German : zwiebel, scallions or young onions. Cutharlan, a bul- 

 bous plant In Lome, and elsewhere along the West Highlands, 

 frequently called srbnamh (probably from Srbn and amh, raw in 

 the nose, or pungent in the nose). 



A. porrum. — Garden leek. Gaelic and Irish: leigis, leiceas, 

 leicis. German : lauch, leek. 



" Agus na leicis agus na h-uinneinean." — Numbers xi. 5. 

 And the leeks and the onions. 



Welsh : ceninen. The Welsh wear this vegetable as a trophy in 

 memory of a victory won by the Welsh over the English, on which 

 •occasion they, by order of St. David, placed leeks in their caps to 

 distinguish them from the Saxons Farmers still wear it when 

 assisting each other, and they bring each a leek to furnish a 

 common repast for the company. Irish : coindid, coinne, cainnen. 

 " Do roidh, no do coindid, no do ablaibh.'' 

 Thy gale, nor thy onions, nor thy apples. 

 Coindid, though applied to leeks, onions, &c, means seasoning, 

 condiments. Latin : condo. 



A. ursimim — Wild (also garden) garlic. From the Celtic. 

 Gaelic and Irish : garleag. Gairgean or gbirgin gairidh. Welsh : 

 garlleg, from gar, gairce, bitter, most bitter. Gairgean, according 

 to Skeat, gar, a spear, spear leek. Creamh (Welsh, era/), to 

 gnaw, chew. Luraclian, the flower of garlic. 



